• Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

  • Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
  • By: Samin Nosrat
  • Narrated by: Samin Nosrat
  • Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (21 ratings)

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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat  By  cover art

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

By: Samin Nosrat
Narrated by: Samin Nosrat
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Publisher's Summary

Soon to be a Netflix series in October 2018.

Winner of the Fortnum & Mason Best Debut Food Book 2018.

Sunday Times Food Book of the Year and New York Times best seller.

While cooking at Chez Panisse at the start of her career, Samin Nosrat noticed that amid the chaos of the kitchen there were four key principles that her fellow chefs would always fall back on to make their food better: salt, fat, acid and heat.   

By mastering these four variables, Samin found the confidence to trust her instincts in the kitchen and cook delicious meals with any ingredients. And with her simple but revolutionary method, she has taught master classes to give both professionals and amateurs the skills to cook instinctively.

©2018 Samin Nosrat (P)2018 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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What listeners say about Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

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Excellent in every way

Well written, presented and produced.

As a chef of 25 years, I knew almost all of what Samin was saying, but I didn’t know why, I nodded throughout the book. And most importantly I learned a lot.

However I noticed that the PDF she refers to in the book isn’t attached and can’t be found.

Would be great to receive that.

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  • Gill
  • 11-04-20

No recipes

I enjoyed the audible book but I've realised there are no recipes in the audible version of the book so to get the book in full I would have to purchase kindle or printed version on top of my audible purchase. It wouldn't make me furious if these recipes were included in the PDF or at least if any warning was given in the description of the book. The book is also very expensive so it was not an good audible deal at all.

53 people found this helpful

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  • Marc
  • 12-01-20

NOT ‘unabridged’

I thought this was a short book for such a large hardback. It turns out that about five minutes before the end of this book, the narrator says ‘All the recipes in this book are only in the print edition”.

36 people found this helpful

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  • Frequent Buyer
  • 12-12-18

Ideal for anyone interested in cooking

Finally, someone explains the principles behind cooking, rather than just a series of seemingly random steps!

The author reads very well, making it a really pleasant listen, even the third or fourth time through.

Highly recommended

14 people found this helpful

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  • Alžběta
  • 02-06-21

Interesting and useful. But beware - no recipes!

WARNING: This audiobook does NOT include the recipes that are in the printed version of this book!
This is not a cookbook. "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" is more a manual on making the most out of any ingredients and recipes by understanding how cooking and food preparation actually work.
The author mentions dinner parties and fancy occasions. This type of cooking is not something I am interested in as I simply want to make delicious and healthy food for my family, ideally on a budget. However, the principles, rules, recommendations, and advice Nosrat introduces will be helpful and transformative, I dare say, for any cook and any occasion.
I really liked this book and I will definitely be going back to it again and again for more inspiration and understanding.

10 people found this helpful

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  • Kostas
  • 04-18-21

It’s like being given a map

Great overview of cooking methods as well as using the different elements to be a better cook as well as improvise in the kitchen. If you cook a lot, you’ll find it covers some fairly basic information but also the way it structures that knowledge it gives you a new understanding of how different elements affect food and relate to one another. It’s like having visited a few places and then suddenly been shown a map of them and you go AHA! Thoroughly enjoyed it and also learned new things about the science behind how different foods transform from the addition of salt, fat, acid and heat as well as covered gaps in my knowledge of those elements. Certainly enhanced my toolbox of cooking knowledge and it’s a book I’ll refer back to as I experiment in the kitchen.

8 people found this helpful

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  • NIC
  • 11-11-20

Absolutely essential

I've been cooking for 19 years professionally and still, I hung on every word!

4 people found this helpful

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  • James
  • 05-30-21

Works better in print but still brilliant!

Since this is one of those books that you want to refer back to often, I'd recommend the print version - I got it for my sister and it's a real thing of beauty.

That said, this is the perfect book for your average cooking novice like me who enjoys cooking but hadn't put any thought into *why* things work. The joy of cooking that exudes from Nosrat's writing stops this from turning into a dry academic study and is instead a celebration of finding the delicious in everything - I have recommended this book to every foodie I know

2 people found this helpful

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  • Peter
  • 11-22-21

Great book

being a chef this book has made me look at things differently would definitely recommend

1 person found this helpful

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  • Olivia
  • 11-04-21

Teaching the fundamentals of good cooking

I am doing ok in the kicthen, and this book gave me great tips to improve and experiment further!
This is not a boring recipe book but really a guide with simply explained principles for good cooking in general. I keep those in mind and already saved a few dishes with remembering the elements salt, fat, acid and heat.
The reading by the author is entertaining.

1 person found this helpful

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  • chris chubb
  • 03-11-21

Add Syrup to the title

Well narrated and researched and enlightening. Without the didactic senimentality it would be 5 stars.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Sagan's Grace
  • 11-27-19

The cooking compass

This is my first time ever listening to something so informational on audiobook. It was an experience to say the least. I definitely think that as a printed book, this would have gotten 5 stars from me, but as an audiobook it was not quite so engrossing as I'd hoped. Of course, I think this disappointment is all about my own expectations. The information presented in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat was exceptionally helpful and interesting, but I just feel that it would have been intensely more so had I been reading it in my kitchen, while I was putting into practice the information I was receiving. On my commute to work, not so much. Therefore, I think this is a case of cook books and guides needing to be a physical object, at least in my opinion. As good as this book could have been in this format however, it was. Samin Nosrat has a lovely reading voice, and you can just tell her excitement and passion for the topics covered as she reads. And her descriptions of food? Mouthwateringly stunning. I was hungry the whole time I listened to this. So be careful of that if you too decide to give this one a go.

5 people found this helpful

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  • Angela Keyte
  • 12-12-19

Not for the advanced or confident cook

Nosrat’s narration is enjoyable and peppered with short anecdotes. However, I didn’t learn anything new from this book. For the confident cook, the concepts illustrated in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat might feel like plain old common sense.

3 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 08-24-19

Best cooking book EVER!

This book changed my life! I used to be a recipe slave, since reading this book I’ve learned how to cook! The content in this book is incredible and changed the way I look at cooking. I will never again be tied to a recipe with the skills I’ve picked up in this fabulous volume. Samin is the most incredible teacher and has made food food accessible to every home cook.

2 people found this helpful

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  • Matilda
  • 05-07-19

Must listen for anyone wanting to improve their cooking skills

I didn’t think I’d enjoy a cook book as an audiobook but after listening to the whole book over 2 days I love it! I’ve never made a better roast chicken and I feel like I have a new found love for cooking again

2 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 05-13-21

so good!

really great book and it has given me some great tips and even before I finished it had already improved my cooking.
the only slight thing was she defaulted to using Fahrenheit measurements, she's American so I still gave 5 stars but for the rest of the world's benefit celsius would be helpful.
thank you for this great book 😁

1 person found this helpful

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  • Kindle Customer
  • 05-28-19

An excellent book about cooking

This is an excellent book that teaches you how to cook (rather than a book that teaches you to cook). It sets out four foundations for all cooking (salt, fat, acid, and heat) discusses how to use them and bring balance to a mean.

Nosrat's narration and narratives are compelling and stitch each section together neatly.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Jess
  • 03-30-19

Beautifully written and read

A truly lovely listen, Nostat has a wonderful voice - both in her writing and speaking. This was an interesting listen, and offers simple and reasonable explanations to becoming a better and more thoughtful cook.

1 person found this helpful

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  • Deborah - from Australia
  • 06-24-22

Salt et Al - brilliant

Brilliant Brilliant, best book on food and eating. Just finished it and am going again

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • Wise Owl
  • 02-03-20

The Rosetta Stone of the kitchen

The book is easy to follow and as the reader moves through the content, the concept of good cooking begins to form. The narrator's passion for food shines, I didn't give the 5th star for performance as at times I felt more excited than she did, I suspect thats the difference beetwen a novice and an old hat. For me cooking was a complicated subject that I took on recepie by recepie, thanks to the book I have gained the broad prespective required to be confident in the kitchen. I love cooking, took a chance on this book and it paid off.

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  • Cathy
  • 01-15-20

A good read

I was hesitant to listen to a cooking book but it was super informative and interesting! A good read for those who loved the Netflix series and want to learn how to be a more confident cook.